Generally described, computing devices and communication networks facilitate the collection and exchange of information. In a common application, computing devices, such as personal computing devices, can utilize a wide area communication network, such as the Internet, to access content or other data from other computing devices associated with content providing entities. Users can request data from a content providing entity such that the content is delivered to one or more computing devices in a relatively “real time” basis. For example, users can request content from a network resource for immediate rendering on a computing device display screen or they can request the immediate transfer of content for storage. In another example, users can transmit a request, or initiate a transaction, that results in the downloading or streaming of content to a computing device. Typically, the content providing entity would initiate the transfer upon receipt of the request from the computing device.
Various computing devices associated with a user or a user account may have access to different representations of content provided by content providing entities. For example, a user may be associated with a wireless computing device corresponding to an electronic book reader (“e-book reader”) that has obtained a digital representation of content (e.g., a digital publication that can be presented on an e-book reader) via a communication network (e.g., a wireless communication network). The same user and/or another user may be associated with a personal computing device that has obtained a separate representation of the same content (e.g., a copy of the digital publication that can be presented on a display associated with the e-book reader) via the same or a different communication network. Still further, one or more users may be associated with a digital audio player that has obtained a separate representation of the same content (e.g., an audio book that can be audibly presented via headphones or speakers) from the same or a different communication network.
Depending on the capabilities and functionality associated with each respective device and the specific nature of the content, a user accesses content via a presentation interface associated with a specific device (e.g., a display on a wireless e-book reader device). In some devices, the user can provide, or associate, additional information with the content, such as annotations, bookmarks, excerpts, etc., during the presentation of the content on a specific device. If the user wishes to direct a second user to content, such as a book that the first user believes may be of potential interest to the second user, the first user would typically send a general reference to the book or to a certain representation of the book to the second user in order for the second user to determine whether to purchase or otherwise obtain the content.